Jamie Condliffe

Most footage of protests from Syria in recent months has clearly been filmed on smartphones. Not for much longer, though: the government just banned iPhones.

In an attempt to control how information leaves the country, officials now "warn anyone against using the iPhone in Syria", reports the BBC. It's also believed that this announcement will prohibit the import of iPhones into the country.

Because most international media have been banned from reporting from Syria, there has been a huge rise in citizen journalism since the uprising began earlier this year. This iPhone ban is presumably an attempt to stymie citizen journalists, who have been filming protests on their handset and uploading footage to the internet for others to watch.

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There's no word on whether other smartphones are also banned. So for now, those using Android over in Syria might be OK. [BBC; Image: ewige]